German retail chain Lidl has secured a High Court order to stop the locks being changed on a Dublin premises where they plan to build a new foodstore.

A dispute over the freehold to the 2,264 square metres site at Terenure has emerged.

The High Court has heard Lidl bought the site where the offices of The Sunday World used to be located on the Rathfarnham Road in Dublin for €3.45 million last year.

If An Bord Pleanala gives the development the go ahead it will begin building a large foodstore and car park.

However 2 weeks ago Lidl received a letter from Noel O’Gara who says his company O’Gara States Ltd. has a claim on the freehold of the site.

Mr. O’Gara came to prominence several years ago when he bought the freehold on leafy Dartmouth Square in Dublin and upset residents by trying to operate it as a car park.

His claim in this case is disputed by Lidl but they say his letter threatened to repossess the Terenure premises and change the locks.

Lawyers for Lidl say the chain wants to avoid an unedifying episode and associated bad publicity and today they have secured a temporary order stopping any trespass at the site.